I Was Once Loved
by Saeko-chan
Summary: FINALLY I HAVE UPLOADED!!! Ehehehe... n_n;; Second chapter up!
1. The Not-So-Bad-But-OOC-Beginning

I Was Once Loved...  
  
By Saeko  
  
A Fujima-Hoshi fic… you get the idea… ne? Ne? NE? ^^  
  
Note to the ROW members: It's very, very hard keeping track of who's talking and maintaining the balance of the conversation and the story at the same time. So most of you guys may come in the later chapters. As for now I'll include only a few people. Hope you understand.  
  
Okay, so I've been a little lazy. But then again, whenever I put all of us in this fic, we have different situations.  
  
And to Hoshi, I hope you don't mind me borrowing Toru for a while. I still have a bit of a thing for him since I saw him… ^^  
  
  
  
…  
  
The Shoyo Basketball team was having a game against Shohoku High. There were only five minutes left to the game and Shoyo was losing, though it had a lead on the first half. Shohoku had just stolen the ball from Shoyo and Kenji Fujima was trying hard not to pass out as he ran after Ryota Miyagi, who had the ball and was dribbling it toward the other court.  
  
"Let's go!" Kenji said to his teammates. They all nodded and ran faster. Toru Hanagata tried to steal the ball, but Miyagi passed it to Mitsui, who again made another three points. The Shohoku fans jumped and cheered.  
  
"This isn't good," thought Kenji. To give himself some buying time, he looked at the audience of Shohoku and Shoyo, his eyes trailing over the different people.  
  
Suddenly, he stopped. Somebody had caught his eye. She was standing at the very front bench. It was a Shoyo girl, judged by her uniform. Kenji knew her. Oh, how he knew her…  
  
"Fujima-san, c'mon," Toru said, coming over to Kenji. Kenji kept on staring.  
  
"Fujima-san?" Toru followed his gaze, and his eyes also fell on the Shoyo girl. She must've sensed that somebody was looking at her, because she began looking around and saw Kenji and Toru staring. When she saw Kenji, she blushed quickly and looked away.  
  
"Fujima-san, have you forgotten what you did to her?" Toru asked.  
  
"Huh?" Kenji looked at Toru. "What do you mean?"  
  
"Never mind. Come on, let's go," Toru said, walking away.  
  
"O – okay."  
  
...  
  
"Hey Saeko-chan," Hoshi said, tugging at her friend's sleeve.  
  
"What?" Saeko asked, looking at Hoshi, puzzled.  
  
"Fujima-san was looking at me," Hoshi said.  
  
"WHAAAT?"  
  
Saeko jumped up and looked at the court, where Kenji was preparing to get the ball.  
  
"I meant a while ago," Hoshi said.  
  
"You could've told me," Saeko said, turning around to look at Hoshi. "You know the guy stinks. He dumped you, remember?"  
  
"Yeah..."  
  
"Well, that's that. Tell me if he looks at you again," Saeko replied. "Are you sure he was looking at you?" she asked. "There's got to be hundreds of Kenji-fans in this place. He could be looking at anybody."  
  
"I'm positive," Hoshi said.  
  
"So keep watching," Saeko said, turning back to the book.  
  
"Okay."  
  
Hoshi looked out at the basketball court. Kenji had the ball and was running to the other court as fast as he could. Hoshi could see the determination in his eyes, not to mention taking in every detail about him: his brown hair, irresistible blue eyes, his green-and-white Shoyo basketball uniform with the number 4, and the way he moves on the court. Hoshi sighed.  
  
"Something wrong, Hoshi? Or are you daydreaming again?" Saeko asked.  
  
"Daydreaming," Hoshi replied without looking, still staring at Kenji.  
  
Saeko sighed too and went back to her book. She was used to Hoshi daydreaming in public places, though sometimes it could be embarrassing. "Hey, do you know where Nayomi and Yuki are? They said they'd be at the game today."  
  
Hoshi continued to stare at Kenji. She had a secret crush on him for as long as she could remember, from the first time she saw him. But she never had the guts to stalk him. She was far too shy on the subject. And though they had been a couple, Kenji had two-timed her. But even so, she still couldn't bring herself to hate him. He was so…  
  
"Hello?" Saeko said. Hoshi continued to look dreamily at Kenji.  
  
"When are you gonna stalk him?"  
  
Hoshi turned around to look at Saeko.  
  
"How do you know I'm thinking that?" Hoshi asked.  
  
"I just do."  
  
"Okay, okay." Hoshi turned to the court again. She looked for Kenji and saw that he was staring at her again. Hoshi smiled and gave a little wave. Kenji looked surprised, but he waved back.  
  
"Hoshi! I told you to tell me if he looked at you again!" Saeko said, standing up and joining Hoshi at the metal banister.  
  
"Oops," Hoshi said.  
  
"'Oops' is right," Saeko said. Just then, they heard a high-pitched bleep, bleep. Saeko reached into her pocket and took out a cell phone. "It's time."  
  
"Oh, yeah, you're right," Hoshi said. "We'd better get going then."  
  
And the whistle sounded, signaling a charged time-out.  
  
...  
  
"You've really fallen for her, have you?" Toru asked Kenji as they walked toward the Shoyo bench during the time-out.  
  
"Fallen? I don't know," Kenji said, taking his towel and wiping his face. "I still have Kira Kira, don't I?" But he smiled when he remembered how the girl from Shoyo had waved at him.  
  
"Fujima-san," Toru said, pointing to the Shohoku benches, "isn't that your girlfriend leaving?"  
  
Kenji turned around just in time to see his mystery girl's back disappear as she walked down the stairs.  
  
"Sorry, Fujima-san, but I had to tell you that," Toru said, taking a swig of water.  
  
"It's okay," Kenji said. "I wasn't planning on going after her again anyway." He turned around and began to talk with his teammates. Toru kept staring at the stairs, where a girl with long hair and glasses was looking back at him. The girl nodded, and Toru nodded as well. The girl smiled and waved before disappearing after Hoshi at the stairs.  
  
...  
  
Hoshi and Saeko walked through the court exit and went to the big tree by their right, where their friends, Yuki, Nayomi and Hinata were seated on wooden benches under the shady tree.  
  
"Konnichiwa," Saeko called out.  
  
"Konnichiwa," Nayomi returned the greeting.  
  
"Why weren't you at the game?" Hoshi asked.  
  
"Sensei kept us in the lab for half an hour cleaning up the experiments," Yuki said. "Good thing we had extra uniforms in our lockers. Our gym uniforms stunk."  
  
"Baka sensei," Saeko said, shaking her head.  
  
"But it was fun making all the acid slither down the counters and burn them using my flamethrower," Yuki added.  
  
"Ha ha," Hoshi said.  
  
"Why are you late?" Nayomi asked.  
  
"Because Hoshi was busy waving to Kenji Fujima," Saeko replied. Hoshi elbowed her in the arm. "Let's go," Hoshi said, walking away.  
  
"Oooh, how nice," Yuki said.  
  
"Really, Saeko?" Nayomi asked as they followed Hoshi. "Did Hoshi really wave to Fujima? I thought he dumped her."  
  
"Yeah," Saeko nodded vigorously. "And he waved back! Can you believe it?"  
  
"Hoshi must've been possessed," Yuki said. "She NEVER waves to a guy. Especially one who dumps her."  
  
"Don't we all," Saeko added.  
  
"Except Saeko, Hoshi and Akai-san," Nayomi said.  
  
"Where's Akai? I thought she'd be going with us," Saeko said.  
  
"She has basketball practice, remember?"  
  
"Oh yeah."  
  
"I wouldn't dump Rukawa if I could help it," Hinata said.  
  
"Yeah right," Saeko said.  
  
"Hey!"  
  
"Shut up or we'll be late," Hoshi said.  
  
"Okay," Saeko replied. She ran up to catch with Hoshi. "What're your plans this weekend, Hoshi?"  
  
"Do my homework, I guess," Hoshi replied.  
  
"I mean, anything time-consuming," Saeko said.  
  
Hoshi thought for a moment. "None at all," she said.  
  
"Okay. That's all."  
  
Hoshi stared at Saeko. "That's all?"  
  
"Uh-huh. Got a problem?" Saeko asked.  
  
"Well, no, but-" Hoshi started to say, but Saeko cut her off.  
  
"Good," Saeko said. "Let's catch a movie or something."  
  
"And?" Hinata said.  
  
"I don't know…" Saeko replied, thinking. "Maybe hang out at somebody's house after."  
  
"I can come!" Yuki said.  
  
"Let's make yema," Nayomi said, looking at Yuki.  
  
"So it's set," Saeko said.  
  
"YEMA!!!"  
  
The five of them continued on talking cheerfully, not knowing that someone was watching them.  
  
...  
  
"I can't believe you dragged me all the way here just to hear them talk about hanging out," Toru grumbled as he and Kenji crouched down behind a bush. "Don't you care about the team at all? At this rate it'll take up a fourscore to get to the Inter High, and by then we'll be married."  
  
"I care about the team, Toru," Kenji said, peeking out, "But I can't stop thinking about her."  
  
"You dumped her just last week!" Toru argued. "So what if she waved at you? It was probably 'coz it's for the team!"  
  
"Sssh!" Kenji said. "We just need to be more specific."  
  
"But how, Kenji?" Toru asked.  
  
"Talk to her, of course," Kenji said.  
  
"Oh, and I suppose YOU'LL do the talking?" Toru said.  
  
"No."  
  
"Then who?"  
  
Kenji fixed Toru with a meaningful look. Toru instantly got the message.  
  
"NO, NO, NO and NO," Toru said. He stood up and started to walk away when Kenji got on his knees and held his hands in front of him.  
  
"C'mon, Toru," Kenji begged. "Please do this for me. PLEASE!" Kenji grabbed Toru's leg and held on tight.  
  
"Man, get off me!" Toru said.  
  
"PLEASE, Toru, and I'll never ever ask you for another favor again!" Kenji said.  
  
"The last time you said that, you asked me for another favor: To jump in the piranha pool," Toru said. "Which I didn't do 'coz you put a large hole in the aquarium and gave me bruises for a month! Am I supposed to believe you?"  
  
"YES!"  
  
"NO!"  
  
"YES!"  
  
"NO!"  
  
"Uh, is something going on here?"  
  
Kenji and Toru looked around and saw a girl with short hair looking curiously at them.  
  
"What is it, Hoshi?" Saeko asked, running toward her. She saw Kenji and stopped running, taking in the full scene: Toru standing up while Kenji was glued to his leg.  
  
"OMG," Saeko said.  
  
"Is something wrong?" Hinata asked.  
  
"Hoshi?" Yuki asked. "What's going on?"  
  
"Hoshi, the food's there and we're gonna eat it all if-" Nayomi stopped speaking, and her eyes also fell on Kenji and Toru. Kenji realized what he was doing and quickly stood up and brushed his hands on his pants.  
  
"God... aren't you Kenji Fujima?!?!" Saeko asked, pointing at Kenji.  
  
"Uh... no," Kenji said.  
  
"Hey, look, it's Toru!" Nayomi said.  
  
"How embarrassing…" Hinata muttered.  
  
Kenji turned to Hoshi. "Hoshi…" Kenji began, but Hoshi turned around and ran.  
  
"HOSHI! Wait a minute!" Hinata cried, going after her.  
  
"Hoshi!" Kenji made to run, but Saeko blocked him, her hands on her hips.  
  
"Who d'you think you are, huh?" she asked him, her arms folded. "Don't you know that she still loves you?"  
  
"How forward," Yuki commented.  
  
"Very," Nayomi said, nodding.  
  
Kenji stopped and looked at Saeko. "Really?"  
  
Saeko nodded. "Really. She loves you so much and you're just gonna look like a jerk in front of her? In front of us? Then she won't be capable of loving you… because you don't love her back. Because you replaced her with a whore. Jerk," she muttered. Shifting her bag to her other shoulder, she turned around and walked to their table.  
  
"You can just forget about running after Hoshi," Nayomi said quietly.  
  
"Why?" Kenji asked.  
  
Nayomi sighed. "Well," she said, "Bye." She walked after Saeko, Yuki behind her.  
  
And so Kenji and Toru were left alone.  
  
...  
  
"You blew it, Fujima-san," Toru muttered.  
  
"If you didn't stand up then we wouldn't have been caught," Kenji countered.  
  
"Oh, and I'm wrong? You were hanging at my leg," Toru replied.  
  
"Well, you still stood up," Kenji said, trying to find a good argument.  
  
"Will you guys shut up already?" Yuki yelled. "We're trying to eat here."  
  
"Let's go, Toru," Kenji said, walking away. Toru looked back at Saeko, who was still in a bad mood. Toru shook his head and went after Kenji.  
  
...  
  
"Calm down, Saeko," Yuki said. "Have a burger."  
  
"I'm not hungry," Saeko said.  
  
"Oh, yes you are," Nayomi said, pressing a burger into Saeko's hand. "You haven't eaten since breakfast."  
  
"I'm not hungry," Saeko repeated, staring at the burger in her hand.  
  
"Saeko…" Yuki said.  
  
"Okay, okay," Saeko grumbled, unwrapping the burger and taking a bite. After a few minutes, she asked, "Where's Hoshi?"  
  
"With Hinata," Nayomi replied, unwrapping her burger. "Why?"  
  
"Nothing," Saeko said.  
  
"There's Hinata and Hoshi," Yuki said over her burger.  
  
"Good."  
  
Hinata and Hoshi reached the table and sat down. "Where's my burger?" Hinata asked.  
  
"Here." Nayomi pushed a burger toward Hinata, who began to eat.  
  
"Hoshi?" Yuki asked.  
  
"Yeah?"  
  
"You okay, Hosh?"  
  
"Yeah, I'm fine," Hoshi said, taking a burger and unwrapping it. "Just a bit paranoid."  
  
"Okay."  
  
"I'll take a walk," Saeko said suddenly, standing up and putting down her burger.  
  
"I'll come with you," Hinata said.  
  
"No thanks," Saeko said. "I need to think," she added, and walked away.  
  
"What's with her?" Hoshi asked.  
  
"I don't know…"  
  
...  
  
"Fujima-san," Toru called.  
  
"Yeah?" Kenji said.  
  
"I'll go to the park for a while," Toru said.  
  
"Why?" Kenji asked curiously.  
  
"I need to think."  
  
"Fine."  
  
Toru shook his head and walked away.  
  
...  
  
Saeko walked quickly to the park grounds. Her head was fuming with annoyed thoughts and she felt she would explode. She looked around and saw the big cherry tree in the middle of the park and walked toward it. Toru was already there, waiting.  
  
"Hey," Toru said.  
  
"Your best friend is such a hopeless good-for-nothing," Saeko said. "How could he do that to Hoshi?"  
  
"Hey, don't say things like that about my best friend," Toru said.  
  
"How can I not? He broke Hoshi's heart for Pete's sake! And I thought we were gonna get them back together!"  
  
"Even so, it doesn't give you any right to ridicule him and insult him in front of me!"  
  
"Oh, now you're defending Fujima?"  
  
"I'm his best friend! I'm supposed to!"  
  
"Sometimes friendship isn't what it seems, Toru. He might be taking advantage of you."  
  
"And sometimes it is what is seems," Toru shot back.  
  
Saeko stopped, her mind running out of words to say. She slumped against the cherry tree, defeated. Toru's angry face softened as he reached out to put his hand on Saeko's shoulder.  
  
Saeko jerked back, shaking. "Don't touch me," she said, taking a step back, tears in her eyes. "I've had enough of you," she said, turning around and running away.  
  
"Saeko! Wait!" Toru said, but Saeko had already disappeared behind a tree. He sighed and put his head in his hands. He had blown it. For Fujima. For himself. 


	2. Face-To-Face

STANDARD DISCLAIMERS APPLY  
  
A/N: Gomen to all who were waiting for the upcoming chapters of this fic, and my other fics for that matter. I'm kinda at a loss at ideas at the time. And I can't finish my fics. Can anybody help me? Drop me a line, onegai. I'm serious. No really. I am.  
  
This fic is also very outdated. Why? Fanfiction.net was already down when I was about to post this, plain and simple. =.=;;;  
  
Day 2  
  
"Sempai!"  
  
Hoshi turned around and saw Saeko running toward her, waving a piece of paper in the air. She seemed very excited.  
  
"Guess what?" Saeko asked when she plopped down next to Hoshi. She looked at Hoshi from head to toe (well, not clearly, since they were sitting) and smiled at her. "Cool outfit, by the way."  
  
Hoshi grinned and surveyed her outfit: A long-sleeved peasant blouse, embroidered pants, and platform sandals. She looked at Saeko and grinned again. "Thanks. Yours looks nice too," she said.  
  
"Thanks," the ROW Junior member replied. "Tonikaku, Remember what you told me? About building a booth in the fair?"  
  
"Yeah."  
  
"Well, I've signed us up!" Saeko said, pushing the piece of paper toward Hoshi. Hoshi took it. "It's a file," she said.  
  
"Yup!" Saeko said happily. "Our file! That means we can set up a booth for the fair!"  
  
"But what're we going to do?"  
  
"Hmm. well, I don't know yet," Saeko said. "I think we should talk to the gang first."  
  
"Okay."  
  
"How about today?"  
  
"Okay. Not during lunch, though. Yuki has a COL Meeting," said Hoshi.  
  
"All right, then. Meet you by the gates after school, sempai. Gotta go! Ja!" Saeko said, standing up and running off.  
  
"Saeko!" Hoshi called, but Saeko had already disappeared behind a throng of students coming out of the school building. She sighed and looked at the file in her hand. Saeko seemed so happy. Wasn't she really angry yesterday? Saeko seemed angrier than she did about seeing Fujima and Hanagata behind the bush.  
  
But before Hoshi could ponder more on the situation, she heard shouts of laughter coming from the far end of the campus. She looked up and saw Kira Kira and Kenji. holding hands.  
  
Hoshi stared, transfixed, at the two of them. Kira Kira was laughing, and Kenji was talking to her, smiling too. He must have been his usual self, a really nice guy with enough humor to fill a bag. Hoshi could almost remember her and Kenji, walking on that same path, and doing the same things Kira Kira and Kenji were doing. But they had drifted apart.  
  
And every night, she had dreamed of herself being with Kenji. Or if not being with him, catching him through her trusty remote control and net**. Hoshi closed her eyes and smiled to herself, reliving her latest dream. Kenji on the ground, unable to move because of the net surrounding him, and Hoshi having a very, very loony smile.  
  
"Hitaka-san?"  
  
Hoshi shook her head and looked up. She saw Toru looking at him with a very weird expression.  
  
"Oh, hi, Toru," Hoshi said.  
  
"Hello," Toru replied. He pointed to Saeko's empty seat. "May I sit there?"  
  
"Sure."  
  
Toru sat down and looked apologetically at Hoshi. "Sorry about yesterday," he said. "We didn't mean to scare you like that."  
  
"It's okay. I wasn't scared."  
  
"You seemed scared in a way."  
  
" 'Scared' isn't the word."  
  
"Then what?" Toru asked.  
  
Hoshi cocked her head, thinking. "I don't know."  
  
"Is something wrong?"  
  
Hoshi turned to look at Toru and gave him a fake smile. "Of course not," she said. "Saeko just told me that we can build a booth at the fair. I'm happy about that."  
  
"Well, if you say so." Toru stood up and blinked in the mid-morning sunshine. He turned to look at Hoshi. "Do you want to go for a soda after school?"  
  
It was now Hoshi's turn to blink. "What?" she said.  
  
"Do you want to go for a soda. After school. Today."  
  
"Oh," said Hoshi, smiling stupidly. "Sorry. I didn't understand you the first time around."  
  
"It's okay," Toru replied. "Well? Do you want to go?"  
  
"Oh-t-today?" Hoshi faltered. "I-I can't. I'm sorry I just told Saeko I'd meet her after school for the booth thing."  
  
"I see. Well, see you around, Hitaka. Be happy about life. and the other thing."  
  
"Yeah. See you," Hoshi said. Toru turned around and walked away, his glasses glinting in the light.  
  
Hoshi smiled at his retreating back. He was so friendly, so. something. Hoshi closed her eyes as visions of yesterday's little humiliation party filled her head. But even the mere thought of Kenji holding Toru's leg made her head reel.  
  
Hoshi suddenly remembered Toru's last words. Be happy about life. Hoshi smiled again. He was kinda like Jollibee* in the commercial. But he had said something else.  
  
The other thing. What did he mean?  
  
There could only be one thing he meant. Hoshi opened her eyes and felt her cheeks burn as she realized what Toru meant. He knew.  
  
The sudden sound of the school bell made Hoshi jump. The bell was signaling the start of class. Hoshi quickly grabbed her bag and ran toward the school building, and soon disappeared with the others.  
  
.  
  
During lunchtime Saeko was already brainstorming ideas for their booth during the fair.  
  
"Maybe we can have a food booth," Saeko muttered, completely oblivious to her open lunchbox. "Or a jail booth. Or a hit-you-in-the-face-with-a-pie booth."  
  
"Saeko, I thought we were going to brainstorm at dismissal," Hoshi said, taking out her lunch, which was a burger.  
  
"It's always better to have a head start," Saeko said, not looking at her. "But the dress-me-up booth sounds good too." Saeko glanced at Hoshi's lunch. "Didn't we have burgers last time?"  
  
"Forgot. It's better than nothing anyway."  
  
"Hey, Hoshi! Hey, Saeko!"  
  
Hoshi looked up from her lunch and saw Yuki walking toward them. "Hey, Yuki!" Hoshi said. "What happened at the meeting?" she asked as Yuki sat down, referring to the COL Meeting Yuki went to earlier.  
  
"Hello, Yuki," Saeko said, still looking at her notes.  
  
"Remember that exchange-student-teacher thing I told you about?" Yuki said. Hoshi nodded. "They picked me to go to Shohoku."  
  
Saeko looked up at last. "Whaddaya mean Shohoku?"  
  
"It means she's going to teach there," Hoshi explained.  
  
"I knew that. But what year?" Saeko asked.  
  
"Third."  
  
"Wow. You're that smart, aren't you?"  
  
"I don't know." Yuki took out her lunchbox. She peered in it and wrinkled her nose. "I told her I didn't like ikura sushi."  
  
"But that kind of sushi is nice," remarked Hoshi.  
  
"We-ell. I don't know. I just don't like it. Grandma makes Japanese food most of the time, since she's a Geisha, and I'm only able to eat foreign foods outdoors."  
  
"Wanna trade?" Hoshi asked, showing Yuki her uneaten burger.  
  
"Yay! Foreign food!" Yuki said happily, pushing her lunch toward Hoshi. Hoshi, in turn, gave the burger to Yuki.  
  
"Itadakimasu!" Yuki said. Hoshi grinned and also began eating Yuki's lunch.  
  
"Speaking of Geisha," Saeko said, "Aren't you supposed to be training already? Isn't being a Geisha in the family?"  
  
"I don't want to be a Geisha," Yuki said. "I think."  
  
"It sounds cool being one, though," Saeko said. "Although I don't like entertaining if I could help it."  
  
"I think you'd better go back to your notes, Saeko," Hoshi said.  
  
"I'll look at them after school. Right now I'm starving." Saeko closed her notebook and put it back in her bag before attacking her lunch.  
  
The next few minutes passed in silence, except for the sounds of people eating their lunch and occasional screams through the cafeteria door. Hoshi looked around. She couldn't find Kenji anywhere. Where was he?  
  
"Saeko," Hoshi turned to the short freshman beside her. "Have you seen Fujima today?"  
  
"I saw him this morning," Saeko said, frowning. "He must've passed by you. Didn't you see him?"  
  
"I did. I meant anytime now."  
  
"Doesn't he usually eat in the cafeteria?" Yuki asked over her burger.  
  
"Only during days when he has practice," Hoshi said.  
  
"Somebody's memorized Kenji's schedule," Saeko sang.  
  
"Why do you always pick on me?" Hoshi huffed, irritated.  
  
" 'Coz you have more than your share of bishies?" Saeko said after a few moments of thinking.  
  
"True, true," Yuki said, nodding.  
  
"Eh, it's not my fault that I'm the bishie hunter** here!"  
  
"You wanted that position," Yuki pointed out.  
  
"Oh yeah."  
  
"Oh, get a grip and stop thinking about him for a while," Saeko said. "You've got fatty foods in front of you. And I'll throw in a candy bar," she said, tossing a thin bar wrapped in yellow paper to Hoshi. "Eat and forget, I say."  
  
"Well. okay."  
  
A faint beep of a cell phone caught their attention. Yuki took out her cell phone from her pocket. "I've got a message," she said. "And it's from. Nayomi."  
  
"Tell her to meet us by the stadium after school," Saeko said after swallowing a rice ball. "Tell her to bring the others too."  
  
"Okay," Yuki said, texting away.  
  
"Our school's kinda lax, letting us bring cell phones here," Hoshi remarked.  
  
"It's unfair that the janitors bring theirs, you know," Saeko said.  
  
"Our janitors have cell phones?!" Hoshi exclaimed.  
  
"Who doesn't?" Yuki asked.  
  
"Kenji doesn't," Saeko said. She giggled.  
  
"That wasn't very nice," Hoshi said.  
  
"I know. I-"  
  
"Hello there," said a female voice.  
  
The three girls looked up to see Kenji in front of them, with Kira Kira by his side.  
  
"Oh," Saeko said. "Hi."  
  
"Hi," Yuki said.  
  
"H-hello," Hoshi stuttered. It surprised her that Kenji would bring Kira Kira over when he wanted to talk. And by the look on Yuki's and Saeko's faces, they were thinking the same thing.  
  
But their minds were all changed in an instant the moment Kira Kira made her next move. "So, I heard you're going to set up a booth during the school fair," Kira Kira said, wrapping her arms around Kenji's in a very possessive way. Hoshi bristled, and Yuki and Saeko exchanged looks of disgust.  
  
"Yes, we are," Saeko said, trying to remove that slimy feeling she was getting. "We've decided on a. um, er."  
  
"A handcuff booth," Yuki said quickly. "Yeah, that's it. A handcuff booth."  
  
"Er-yeah," Saeko said uneasily.  
  
Kira Kira looked pointedly at each of the three girl's faces, her eyes finally landing on Hoshi.  
  
"Hitaka-san," Kira Kira said, "You seem quiet. Is something wrong?" she asked with phony concern.  
  
Hoshi gripped her notebook tightly, her knuckles turning white. "Nothing's wrong, Kira Kira," she said as casually as she can without shaking.  
  
"If you say so, dear," Kira Kira said, smiling nastily at Hoshi. Then she shot a look at Kenji. "You're quiet too," she said.  
  
"N-no, I'm okay," Kenji said. He gave a slight smile in Hoshi's direction. "Just a little jumpy."  
  
"Need some treatment?" Kira Kira said. "You know I'm an aspiring nurse," she added in what Hoshi defined as an I-am-the-only-one-who-can-cure-you tone.  
  
Blech. Hoshi looked at Yuki, who looked at Saeko, who was trying her best not to open her big mouth and say anything sarcastic or nasty.  
  
"N-no, I'm okay," Kenji said again. "We'd better go," he said, trying to turn around, but Kira Kira pulled him back.  
  
"We haven't said goodbye to our friends, Kenji-kun," Kira Kira said. She again gave her trademark smile to the three ROW Members. "Ta ta, gals!" she said, waving her polished fingernails in their direction. Then she pulled Kenji away.  
  
All three girls breathed sighs of relief. "Finally, she's gone," Yuki said.  
  
"She is so annoying!" Saeko burst out. "She slithers like a snake and shakes Kenji in front of us like he was a rag doll."  
  
"I don't think 'annoying' is the word," Yuki said.  
  
"Well, if not, it must be SOMETHING."  
  
"Whoah, Saeko, don't get all angry like you did yesterday," Hoshi said.  
  
"Aren't you supposed to be angry?" Saeko asked Hoshi.  
  
"I am," Hoshi said, "But it's unethical to go out like this with my feelings."  
  
"What're you trying to do, being a Nataku-wannabe?"  
  
"Nataku? No bleeding way," replied Hoshi. "I just don't think it's right to go all out with this," she added quietly.  
  
"Oh, and I forgot, Nataku is emotionless, isn't he?" Saeko said.  
  
"Yeah, he is. All right, then," Yuki said. "Why don't we just eat lunch, and we can talk about this without disturbing our stomachs."  
  
"Oh, and don't forget," Saeko said, smiling. "Birthday girl," she sang. Hoshi turned p**k.  
  
"Aha! P**k! Praise me!!" Yuki said, jumping out of her seat.  
  
Hoshi sighed, but she bowed down to Yuki and praised her.  
  
"Pathetic, isn't it?"  
  
Hoshi looked at Saeko. "I know that."  
  
Saeko just smiled.  
  
~ Footnotes ~  
  
**A/N: Please read my other fic, The Goddess Manual, posted under the FellowshipOfTheROW account, to know what this is about. This also applies to the remote control and net mentioned earlier. But I think up to this point, the manual hasn't been posted. If it has, goody.  
  
*A/N: Sing with me you Filipinos! *sings* JOLLIBEE HAPEE.  
  
^_^  
  
~ Saeko 


End file.
